Astrochelys radiata

Hello and bon soir

My name is Ulli and I`am living in Germany.
I`am keeping Testudo kleinmanni and Astrochelys radiata.
I want to ask French radiata-keepers, how they exactly incubate their radiata-eggs.

Solutions, Ulli

Hi Ulli

I'm pleased that you read the classified ad I put.

You're welcome!

I am very interested in having international breeders to share experience.

Maybe you can introduce your tortoises in the dedicated subcategory? For now, we are also interested in having some great pictures of tortoises. As you may know, this forum is very young.

As many other people in this forum, I am particularly fan of Astrochelys radiata. This is probably one the most beautiful land tortoises in the World, with very familiar behaviour, and is very robust.

Do you have a egg-laying radiata female?

People in metropolitan France have also difficulties to have babies. However, french people who live in Reunion Island have way higher success rate because of the Island climate (Reunion island is French, and near Madagascar) Incubating Madagascar tortoises eggs is hard, a lot of people do not achieve to hatch.

Some people say that they have success incubating at constant temperature (30°-31° daily) but as far I know, using that method always end with rotten eggs... Another famous method is to incubate at different temperatures and humidity, reproducing Madagascar's austral summer and austral winter (diapause). In other words, The temperature stay during several weeks at 31°c with high humidity, and reduce little by little both temperature and humdity (not too low however). this proccess can run for several weeks. Both humidity and temperature should not be reduced too quick, because eggs can crack (!). After several weeks, the heating process can be restarted to reach 30°-31° daily. I hope this data can help.

Maybe other people here can answer, and add other comments.

All in all, incubating eggs is always difficult, and a long-term project specially for Madagascar tortoises (Astrochelys sp. , Pyxis sp.)

Bis bald,

Hello phoenix

Many many thanks for your answer.
I have 19 eggs from my Radiatas. What is the right temperature during the diapause? Are 20 degrees right?

At first I found this foren:
1) tortues-terestres.forumactif.com,
2) radiata-mania and
3) tortues-actions.naturalforum.net.

I have seen, that many french peope are keeping and breeding Astrochleys radiata, But my big problem is, that I can`t speak
french, only german and english.
So I hope, I get more answers in your forum.
In some minutes, I send you some fotos from my Radiatas to the forum.
Solutions, Ulli

Hi Ulli

I hope you are fine.

Instead of talking english, you can use the Googletrad tool (see Post-it in the International forum subcategory)? That 's a bit long to post , but that way you can have a discussion in french (I used to do so in foreign language message boards)

By the way, you just created another thread, instead of answering. "Répondre" means "answer" to the current thread.

I would be so happy if you let us see your radiated, as well as your Kleimanni (since these are also quite rare, and beautiful)

French are not know for being very good at practising foreign languages I hope some people around here will answer.

Concerning the radiata, almost every breeder I know who hatch babies comes from Reunion Island. And don't even think that they use Jaeger incubators nor Juragon ones... The Reunions "way of hatch" is to put eggs somewhere in their kitchen, and let the natural climate changes make the incubation. that's all. Results are way better than using incubators. However, the incubation is long (several month, much more than the Testudo genus eggs) the sex-ration is somewhat irregular, with a vast majority of males.

With our European climates, the only thing we can do is to use incubators.
I'm not sure of the limit temperature, maybe other breeders here can answer you. People who already tried to do so. I do not have laying females for now, as I only bred juveniles.

See ya!

Hello Phoenix

I have heard, that all radiata-babys from Reunion are males, because they were breeded by low temperatur in the natural climate. Is that right?

I can`t upload my fotos into the forum. I don`t know, where ist the mistake.

Solutions, Ulli

That is a good subject to discuss.

People are not convinced of that. What I personally heard is in most cases is that most hatched babies are males. However, there is still a few females. That is why females are more expensive than males, I mean, really.

If you cannot upload files, you can use www.imageshack.us which is the one I always use and is reliable.

You just have to upload your file (Browse), select "X Resize image for message boards 640x480" and then click "start upload"
when the finish message is displayed, choose the line "Hotlink for forums (1)" and Copy/paste it.

konnen wir deutch sprenchen

Hallo Caly0703

Natürlich können wir deutsch sprechen. Ich habe jetzt Radiata-Fotos und Kleinmanni-Fotos in die Foren eingestellt.

Viele Grüße,Ulli

hello, i have problems to hatch my daiata aggs, most of them start ok but then they get stuck and dont advance, some others do but after a amonth when the egg (if fertiized) is mostly white.... how can i know that after doing a short diapause that the egg is fertile, cannot see inside like at the beggining. i have two females laying and need help, thanks, philipe